Russian troops make big gains after Congress, Biden greenlight major aid package

Ukrainian forces suffered significant territorial losses over the weekend despite receiving a large package of US military aid in April, according to the New York Times.

From Friday to Sunday, Russian forces captured more square miles per day than at almost any point in the war other than its first few days, taking nine villages in northern Ukraine as the fighters defending them retreated. seconds in the Times. The Russians' advances came just weeks after the Congress approved an infusion of $61 billion in military aid to Ukrainian forces on April 21, which supporters argued was essential for Ukraine to resist the invasion.

“The first line of fortifications and mines simply did not exist,” said Denys Yaroslavsky, a Ukrainian reconnaissance commander. he wrote in a Facebook post. “The enemy freely entered the gray zone, through the border line, which in principle should not have been gray!”

Biden signs $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. pic.twitter.com/jKVslCj4kI

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 24, 2024

The $61 billion aid package approved in April contained funding for arms, weapons purchases, training and more. seconds at the Center for International Strategic Studies. This round of funding complemented four previous aid packages, bringing the maximum amount of US aid sent to Ukraine since the outbreak of the war to $175 billion. seconds to the Foreign Relations Council.

“We are focused on supporting the defense of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces are fighting hard. We warned on Friday that we had anticipated that Russia would launch an offensive against Kharkiv and that Russia would increase its attacks in an attempt to establish a shallow buffer zone along the border with Ukraine, and we have been coordinating closely with Ukraine to help – them to prepare,” a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We are also working on another aid package to get urgently needed aid to Ukraine, and the Department of Defense has been moving heaven and earth to deliver all these supplies to Ukraine as quickly as possible. As we've said before, Congress's months-long delay in approving the supplement put the Russians at an advantage, and Ukraine will need time to regain the initiative.”

The US is currently working on another aid package for Ukraine, and the DOD hopes that the influx of US aid will position Ukraine to withstand Russian attacks throughout the year, despite the gains that the forces Russians can get now, the DOD spokesman added.

While it is currently unclear whether the Russian advances are a minor, isolated development or the start of a sustained period of greater success, the exhaustion of many Ukrainian soldiers in the in front, limited amounts of ammunition and dwindling manpower could combine to cause serious problems for the Ukrainian military, according to the Times. Thousands of civilians have fled their homes to take refuge in Kharkiv, the largest city in the region where the Russians were successful over the weekend.

Russian forces are beginning to reach or attack cities and towns outside Kharkiv, according to the Times. The Russians may be pushing in the Kharkiv region to divert Ukrainian troops, attention, and resources from other areas in hopes of creating the conditions for a larger advance.

“The Russians have understood, as have many analysts, that the big disadvantage facing Ukraine today is manpower,” Franz-Stefan Gady, an Austria-based military analyst, told the Times. “By reducing the front line, you increase the odds of a breakthrough.”

The war has so far claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, but the front line of the conflict has not moved much in recent months, according to the Times. Labor is becoming a problem for Ukraine, which has a much smaller population than Russia and is beginning to mobilize convicts to join the fight despite criticizing Russia for doing the same before the conflict .

The State Department and Defense Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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